Lawmakers divided on health defunding idea LITTLE ROCK (AP) — After elections where Republicans took all but one of Arkansas' seats in Washington by campaigning against the federal health overhaul, the state's GOP congressmen and senator are now split over whether to tie that law's defunding to budget negotiations this fall. The state's Republican senator and a congressman from its GOP stronghold are speaking out against an effort to block funding for the 2010 law in any spending bills...

Governor proclaims Sept. Arkansas Volunteer Month LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Gov. Mike Beebe has declared September "Arkansas Volunteer Month" to honor the thousands of volunteers who work to make the state a better place to live. Sherry Middleton, director of the Arkansas Department of Human Services' Division of Community Service and Nonprofit Support, says Arkansas volunteers provide services and problem-solving skills to people and communities throughout the state. Middleton says it's the spirit ...

Officials say sales tax needed for new jail FORT SMITH (AP) — Officials in Crawford County say a sales tax will be needed to pay for a new jail. The existing Crawford County Detention Center has failed three previous inspections. The jail is currently on a six-month probation period after a state inspection in July. The Times Record reports (http://bit.ly/17sQFoh that inspectors cited overcrowding, insufficient staffing, safety, inmate separation, sufficient medical facilities, storage ...

Questions remain on Syria voteTEXARKANA, Ark. (AP) — U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor of Arkansas said Monday that President Barack Obama needs to explain what America’s interest would be in attacking Syria, while Republican rival and U.S. Rep. Tom Cotton said he’s worried the presidency would be weakened if Obama’s request is voted down. The two rivals and other members of the state’s congressional delegation were split on whether to back a military strike against the Syrian governme...

Obama seeking congressional OK for Syria action WASHINGTON (AP) — Delaying what had loomed as an imminent strike, President Barack Obama abruptly announced Saturday he will seek congressional approval before launching any military action meant to punish Syria for its alleged use of chemical weapons in an attack that killed hundreds. With Navy ships on standby in the Mediterranean Sea ready to launch their cruise missiles, Obama said he had decided the United States should take military acti...

City hosts town hall ahead of voteRussellville citizens had the opportunity Thursday night during a town hall meeting to ask questions and learn more about the proposed 1-cent sales tax extension. The meeting was facilitated by Arkansas Valley Alliance for Economic Development board member Roy Reaves, who said the tax, if extended for seven years, was anticipated to bring in at least $49 million in revenues. Proceeds will be distributed with 6.25 percent going toward economic ...

Detention basin construction nears completionThe new 11-acre detention basin at the south end of Waco Street in Russellville is nearing completion. “We anticipate being finished within three months,” Michael Oakes, city engineer, said. “It will be finished this fall.” The basin is designed to help control storm water flooding in Brookside and surrounding neighborhoods. In June, the Russellville City Council accepted a bid of $698,505.56 from Bowden Specialties to complete the improvement...

City Council denies extension to save condemned homeThe Russellville City Council decided against granting an extension to the owner of a condemned house during a called meeting Thursday night. In the split vote, aldermen Richard Harris, Mark Tripp and Garland Steuber voted in favor of granting Danny Davis a six-month extension to renovate his home at 814 S. Erie Ave. Those votes weren't enough to pass the measure above the nay votes of aldermen Freddie Harris, Randy Horton, Spence Roberts and ...

Oil drops below $108 as US weighs Syria options The price of oil fell below $108 a barrel Friday as an imminent U.S. attack on Syria appeared less likely. President Barack Obama says he hasn't made a final decision about a military strike against Syria. But he is considering a limited and narrow action in response to a chemical weapons attack that he says Syria's government carried out last week. British lawmakers on Thursday voted against going along with Prime Minister David Cameron's pla...

Syrians bracing for possible US strike WASHINGTON (AP) — Edging toward a punitive strike against Syria, President Barack Obama said Friday he is weighing "limited and narrow" action as the administration bluntly accused Bashar Assad's government of launching a chemical weapons attack that killed at least 1,429 people — far more than previous estimates — including more than 400 children. No "boots on the ground," Obama said, seeking to reassure Americans weary after a decade of war ...

AG rejects wording of abortion amendment LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas' attorney general has again rejected the wording of a proposed constitutional amendment that would declare that life begins at conception. Attorney General Dustin McDaniel on Friday cited multiple problems with the wording of the measure proposed for the 2014 ballot by a group called Personhood Arkansas. McDaniel must certify the measure before the group can begin gathering the 78,133 signatures from registered vote...

AG rejects request to certify Rx pot proposal LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel has rejected a request to certify the popular name and ballot title of a proposed measure that would legalize medical marijuana in the state. McDaniel on Friday rejected the request from Arkansans for Compassionate Care 2014, citing what he called ambiguities in the proposed measure. The proposal would allow patients with qualifying conditions to purchase marijuana from nonprofit dis...

Democrats set filing fee for state Senate election LITTLE ROCK (AP) — The Democratic Party of Arkansas has set $3,150 as the filing fee to seek the party's nomination for a state Senate seat vacated by a lawmaker who resigned over improper campaign spending. The party announced on Friday it had set a pro-rated filing fee for the state Senate District 21 seat that was vacated by former Democratic Sen. Paul Bookout. Bookout resigned last week, days after the Ethics Commission said he spent thous...

City, county to discuss parkingRussellville and Pope County officials have begun preliminary discussions regarding construction of a parking deck downtown. At a meeting Thursday, members of a committee tasked with investigating the possibility of a joint effort to address parking in downtown Russellville outlined a plan to request a feasibility study. Committee members include Pope County justices Doug Skelton and James Kusturin Jr., Russellville aldermen Spence Roberts and...

Feds won't sue to stop marijuana use in 2 states WASHINGTON (AP) — Despite 75 years of federal marijuana prohibition, the Justice Department said Thursday that states can let people use the drug, license people to grow it and even allow adults to stroll into stores and buy it — as long as the weed is kept away from kids, the black market and federal property. In a sweeping new policy statement prompted by pot legalization votes in Washington and Colorado last fall, the department gave the gr...

Powers limited, Obama, Biden seek action on guns WASHINGTON (AP) — Months after gun control efforts crumbled in Congress, Vice President Joe Biden stood shoulder to shoulder Thursday with the attorney general and the top U.S. firearms official and declared the Obama administration would take two new steps to curb American gun violence. But the narrow, modest scope of those steps served as pointed reminders that without congressional backing, President Barack Obama's capacity to make a differ...

J&J launches new cap to curb Tylenol overdoses WASHINGTON (AP) — Bottles of Tylenol sold in the U.S. will soon bear red warnings alerting users to the potentially fatal risks of taking too much of the popular pain reliever. The unusual step, disclosed by the company that makes Tylenol, comes amid a growing number of lawsuits and pressure from the federal government that could have widespread ramifications for a medicine taken by millions of people every day. Johnson & Johnson says the warn...

Court upholds 1st ban on gay-to-straight therapy SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal appeals court sided with California on Thursday and upheld the first law in the nation banning a psychological treatment that seeks to turn gay youth straight. In a resounding, unanimous opinion, a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found the state law barring the so-called gay aversion therapy legal in every respect. The judges said trying to change a minor's sexual orientation through in...

Stronger US growth may lead Fed to slow bond buys WASHINGTON (AP) — A stronger-than-expected rise in U.S. economic growth last quarter will likely strengthen the hand of Federal Reserve officials who want to slow the Fed's bond purchases next month. The economy grew at a 2.5 percent annual rate from April through June, the government estimated Thursday. That was more than twice the growth rate in the first quarter and far above an initial estimate of a 1.7 percent rate for April through June....

Financial stress may hit your brain and wallet WASHINGTON (AP) — Being short on cash may make you a bit slower in the brain, a new study suggests. People worrying about having enough money to pay their bills tend to lose temporarily the equivalent of 13 IQ points, scientists found when they gave intelligence tests to shoppers at a New Jersey mall and farmers in India. The idea is that financial stress monopolizes thinking, making other calculations slower and more difficult, sort of like t...